45-degree diagonal cutters?

I used to own a pair of flush cutters where the jaws and the handles met at about a 45-degree angle. Made for a nice tool for getting in between components when you needed to nip something off flush with the PCB.

I think they were Xcelite.

I can't find anything like those Xcelites anymore. Everything is either straight (no angle between the jaws and handles) or maybe a slight angle.

Anyone know of a good cutter that has a 45-degree angle? Flush-cut desirable but not critical. A 1/2" (12 mm) jaw opening would be nice, though.

Thanks, Dave

Reply to
DaveC
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I have a newer pair of Xcelite nippers. If the above link does you no good I'll grab them when I get back to the shop and post the part number.

Reply to
Meat Plow

"wire nipper" just gives me millions of hits. Adding "45 degree" is what I need. And already did. Hence my question here.

Are they 45-degree type? Yes, I'd appreciate a pn.

Thanks!

Reply to
DaveC

Most nippers are 45, diag cutters are a totally different animal.

Xcelite 170M

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Reply to
Meat Plow

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Reply to
Rich.

Such tools are still around, but I have never seen a flush cutter that had a half inch long cutting jaw. Ever.

Try hunting up Lindstrom on ebay if you want the absolute best Swiss steel hand tools. Not cheap.

Alternatively, Xcelite dies still exist and they as well as a few other inhabit the bottom of the market, from a quality POV.

Regular flush cutters are cheap steel, don't last long, and only cost about $8 each, so they get bought by the case in boxes of ten.

The angled pair are usually single sales items though. The bottom end has them for about $5 more each, and the top end has them at a similar price to all the others because they are all expensive at that level.

They are also worth it.

If you want a pair that will last decades, and is fully serviceable, and uses the hardest steel and tightest tolerances, Lindstrom shares no equal. Well worth the typical $35 - $55 a pair.

Reply to
life imitates life

Not true. "nippers" are various, and there "norm" varies from USER to USER, and no, the industry does not "usually use 45 degree" as was inferred by your remark. Most were.... AT the shithole you were at at the time.

Most at two of the places I have been were the other variety. You probably knew that was an incorrect statement, the moment you hit the period key.

The Lindstroms are worth the extra outlay if a long term, personal tool is desired. For a production level, multi-user tool, the lower quality steel, shorter life span brands are cheaper and are the better value for such a setting. It just depends on who the tool is for, how well they take care of their tools, and the term you wish the tool to last for.

Reply to
life imitates life

Jeez, for $27 plus tax and shipping? Damn. For about $5 more, you can simply buy the best steel in the world. Lindstrom.

If you are putting out that much already, what is adding 5% for a twofold gain in quality?

If you do not want to spend that much, the cheap Xcelite, and Plato brands, etc. are the right choice, and you shouldn't spend more than $12 each for a ten pack of them. Also worth it. If you are buying the cheaper brands, you should buy at least two, if not the ten pack, because they will wear due to the softer steels used. The Swiss brand will last forever or until you break them via some form of abuse or other.

Reply to
life imitates life

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Reply to
life imitates life

I cobbed a bunch of lindstrom cutters and pliers from a place I worked at years ago. They were going belly up and tossed out boxes of the things. I'm still using the few that I haven't given away or broken. As long as you don't use them to cut steal (hence the broken cutters) they are awesome. I wish I would have grabbed more.

Reply to
Sansui Samari

Swedish.

Reply to
Fred Abse

I've got Lindstroms that I've had 30 years. Look their age, but still work as good as ever. The newer ones aren't as good, IMHO.

Golden rule: Never, under any circumstances, lend cutters to *anyone*. Never let them out of your sight / control.

Reply to
Fred Abse

Were they going belly up because of buying only the finest, or despite of that?

At the liquidation sales for some bankrupt companies, sometimes I have seen hard, tangeable evidence of WHY they went broke.

Reply to
Greegor

That in my humble opionion is just plain silly. If you refuse to lend people tools when they ask, they wait until you are not looking and borrow them anyway.

The best thing to do, IMHO is to buy several sets of medium grade tools, i.e. cheap but not the best. Still capable of doing the job, but nothing you would worry about if it came back unusable.

Then you leave one set around for people to borrow and lend them out agressively.

The good tools you keep locked up and never even let them know you have them.

:-)

I used to have a guy who worked for me part time who was constantly having his tools stolen. From screwdrivers to floor pullers. I just bought a bunch of screwdrivers for him and on his days off, I went around and collected them from where he left them.

Geoff.

Reply to
Geoffrey S. Mendelson

That's nice YMMV

Never heard of Lindstrom

Reply to
Meat Plow

Fairly well known as the 'Rolls Royce' of cutters etc. But debatable if they are worth the cost. If you're only doing the things those cutters were designed for, like snipping copper leads, cheaper ones treated as disposable can be fine. And use a 'disposed' of pair for the things that could damage the good ones.

But I do have some Lindstrom tools.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

They get fired!

Reply to
Fred Abse

That only works if:

  1. You are high enough up the food chain to do anything about it.

  1. Have less invested in them than the tools.

Maybe a small company with a few employees of no particular skills, but in the real world?

Geoff.

Reply to
Geoffrey S. Mendelson

Yes, I am.

When it comes to finding you haven't got the tools to do the job and get it out on deadline because of some idiot, that idiot's no investment.

Not *that* small. Many longtime employees with irreplaceable skills who know better than to borrow tools without asking. They have their own tools. If they want more, we buy them. They wouldn't lend me theirs, not that I'd ask.

It's called discipline and commitment.

Reply to
Fred Abse

I don't doubt they are the cat's meow. I use a pair of side cuts for anything less larger than 20. My nippers were always for nipping leads from caps, diodes, etc.... The shearing edges are just too soft.

Reply to
Meat Plow

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